title: Nontraumatic prehospital cardiac arrest ages 1 to 39 years.
abstract: Clinical and autopsy records were retrospectively reviewed for 105 patients between the ages of 1 and 39 years who came in to the emergency department with nontraumatic cardiac arrest. There were 65 male (62%) and 40 female patients (38%). Forty-eight percent of the patients were resuscitated. Long-term survival rate was 23%. The most common presenting rhythm was ventricular fibrillation (45%). Cardiac diseases constituted the most common cause of arrest (38%). Atherosclerotic coronary artery disease represented 50% of all cardiac causes. The second most common etiology was overdose or toxic exposure (21%). Witnessed arrest and an etiology of primary cardiac dysrhythmia for arrest were statistically significant factors related to favorable outcome. Asystole as the initial cardiac rhythm was a negative prognostic indicator. Age, sex, race, bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation, and paramedic response time were not significant prognostic factors for long-term survival.
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency Medicine, Hennepin County Medical Center, Minneapolis, MN.
authors.forename: A Y
authors.initials: AY
authors.lastname: Ng
authors.forename: J E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Clinton
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Peterson
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003645:Death, Sudden / Q000453:epidemiology*; D004632:Emergency Medical Services; D005260:Female; D006323:Heart Arrest / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006331:Heart Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000401:mortality; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D011379:Prognosis; D012151:Resuscitation; D012189:Retrospective Studies